


false starts, roundabouts, and head on collisions

by icarusinflight



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Friends With Benefits, Frottage, Hand Jobs, M/M, honest discussions of feelings, these two talking is my #1 kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-05 11:15:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12793419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarusinflight/pseuds/icarusinflight
Summary: “I think you’re hot,” Lance blurts out.“Oh,” Keith says, and he looks away, his eyes moving to gaze out the observatory window, “That’s–““I have since the Garrison,” Lance interrupts, determined to power on and make it through his confession. He’s started this now, it’s already too late to go back so he figures he may as well go all in. Never let it be said that Lance McClain did things halfway. “It might be why I was kind of a jerk towards you when all of this started," Lance waves hands at the room, but he means the castle, the lions, all of it, "I had a big, dumb crush on you and then you didn’t remember me.”





	false starts, roundabouts, and head on collisions

**Author's Note:**

> This was for the trope _Friends with Benefits_ for the [VLD Tropes Fest](https://vldtropesfest.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thank you so much to [starboysinspace](https://starboysinspace.tumblr.com/) for the beta read

“I think you’re hot,” Lance blurts out.

“Oh,” Keith says, and he looks away, his eyes moving to gaze out the observatory window, “That’s–“

“I have since the Garrison,” Lance interrupts, determined to power on and make it through his confession. He’s started this now, it’s already too late to go back so he figures he may as well go all in. Never let it be said that Lance McClain did things halfway. “It might be why I was kind of a jerk towards you when all of this started," Lance waves hands at the room, but he means the castle, the lions, all of it, "I had a big, dumb crush on you and then you didn’t remember me.” 

He laughs bitterly, the pain from that  _ who are you? _ still so easy to remember.

“You didn’t even notice me at the Garrison.”

They’re sitting in the observation room, watching the planets and stars as the ship travels slowly on autopilot, charting the course that Allura and Coran had mapped out for the ship before retiring to their own quarters. It had been a busy day for everyone; Lance had been helping out with construction of shelters on the refugee base all day, while Keith had been training with the Blade’s, but when they’d returned to the ship, neither had felt like sleeping.

Which had brought them here – trying to wind down, sitting in the observation room watching the stars. Keith had started out leaning against the lounge, and Lance was lying horizontally across the cushions; at some stage between talking, and starting the ‘Truth Game’, they’d both migrated to sitting on the floor in front of the couch – Keith leaning his back against the front, Lance sprawled on the ground with his feet up on the couch – alternating between looking out the observation window upside down and watching Keith.

“Sorry.” Keith’s words are short, clipped, but when Lance looks up at Keith’s face, expecting disgust or anger from Keith, he’s surprised to find sadness there instead.

Somehow that’s worse. He looks away from Keith.

“Don’t be.” He dismisses Keith’s apology with a wave of his hand – throwing his right hand out in Keith’s direction, “It’s okay.”

It was okay – even if it had hurt at the Garrison when he’d been trying to get Keith’s attention, but had never been able to. It was okay, when it had hurt even more when Keith hadn’t even recognised him – and once he did, the only thing he remembered had been that Lance was a cargo pilot. It had hurt, sent a sourness through his stomach that he could feel an echo of, even now. Keith had congratulated him then, but the congratulations and acknowledgement Lance has always wanted from the boy he’d admired felt far less satisfying in real life than his fantasies.

“I am, though. It… sucks, and I’m sorry I had a part in making you feel like shit.” Keith sighs audibly, leaning back, tilting his head up took look at the ceiling of the room.

Lance wants to change the subject. He wants to drop this and never speak of it again. He wants to tell Keith he was only joking – just Lance the prankster – and one day they’ll look back at this and laugh.

Keith’s voice drags him from his panic-induced thoughts. “It wasn’t you or anything though. I just… had other things on my mind. The Garrison was my chance to show everyone I could be something. I wanted to show the instructors I could be good enough. I was so focused on being the best, I put everything into that. And I just wanted to keep my head down and focus on my scores and simulations. I think I was pretty preoccupied with that; I just didn’t have time to notice anything else.”

“You noticed Shiro,” Lance points out, and he hates the bitterness he can hear in the words.

A part of him knows he has no right to feel jealous, but that doesn’t stop the hurt, or the feeling of jealousy from bubbling up inside him. He knows Keith never owed him anything – not his time, not his attention.

It still doesn’t stop him from feeling it.

Keith’s huff sounds like a soft laugh, and he scrunches his nose. “I think it was more like Shiro noticed me. He can’t resist a lost cause.”

“You’re not a lost cause,” Lance responds immediately, jumping to Keith’s defence.

“I think we’ve established tonight that you might be a little biased,” Keith says, turning to him with a soft smile. 

He knows Keith doesn’t say it to hurt him, or tease him, but Lance still feels a twinge of heartache at the words. The casual reference of something he’d held so tight to his chest for so long pulling at his emotions.

“Yeah, well.” Lance waves his hand and continues anyway, “Doesn’t make it any less true.”

The words earn him another smile before Keith drops his head, the upward curve of his lips still obvious even with the limited view of his face. Lance feels his face echoing the movement without any conscious thought to do so, but he can’t help the smile, wouldn’t try to stop it even if he wanted to.

Keith folds his arms on top of his knees, dropping his head to rest on them, hiding his face. “Thanks.” The words come out quiet, and muffled by his own arms, but Lance just catches them.

Keith turns to look at Lance, his head still resting on his arms. 

When the words come out this time his voice is clear and unmuffled, “I think you’re hot too.”

The words feel like a knife to the gut, and Lance closes his eyes, blocking out the sight of Keith. “Don’t.”

“Lance–”

“Keith, don’t,” He repeats. “Don’t just say that for my feelings. I don’t want your sympathy compliment.”

The bark of laughter causes Lance to open his eyes. 

Keith is sitting up again, no longer hiding his face. “Really Lance?” He asks, his voice sounds amused, “You’d have to be blind to think otherwise. Do you really think that I would say that to save your feelings?”

Lance thinks about Keith’s words, thinks back to the time when they’d rescued Shiro. He thinks of all the words Keith has said to him since that night. Keith’s words have always been brutally honest, sometimes harsh in their brusqueness. Keith doesn’t pull his punches – not his physical ones, and not his metaphorical ones.

“No,” Lance agrees, “You wouldn’t.”

If Keith wouldn’t lie for his feelings, then it means he’s telling the truth. If Keith was telling the truth it means he actually thinks Lance is hot. He can feel his face flushing at the realisation of that – of what it means.  _ Keith thinks he’s hot _ .

It’s too much; he can’t consider that possibility right now, can’t process it. So he does the only thing he can think of – he changes the subject.

“It’s your turn,” Lance points out. Even though technically Keith’s admission could have been his turn. Lance doesn’t mention that, though, and he hopes Keith will just go along with his request, “Tell me a truth, piano man.”

“I can’t play the piano.”

“If that’s your truth that’s terrible Keith, I just bared my soul to you and you offer me that?”

“What?” Keith’s face pulls in confusion. “No. I’m just saying. I’m not a piano man. I can’t play the piano.” Lance searches Keith’s face, looking for some sign of the joke, or that Keith was being purposefully obtuse, but Keith continues on without any sign of a joke, his face serious now.  _ This boy seriously, this boy. _ “I – I find it hard to open up to people, or to let people in. It worries me sometimes… thinking about relying on someone, on a person. If you lose that person then you have nothing. Love just… never seems worth it.” Keith sighs, and when he continues his voice is barely more than a whisper. “Sometimes I think that maybe losing my mom and dad broke me. It’s hard to let anyone in.”

Keith blows out another defeated breath, reaching up and taking a handful of his hair, tugging it between his fingers roughly. Lance’s hand twitches before he aborts the movement; he wants to reach out and take Keith’s hand in his own, stop the harsh tugging. But he thinks that would probably be crossing a line, more so than anything else they’re already said. Instead he laces his fingers together, squeezing them tight between each other.

Keith doesn’t seem done, so Lance waits until Keith continues, “I think Shiro is the first person I’ve let in since then.” He laughs a little, it sound is harsh though, anything but amused. “Look how that turned out.”

Lance doesn’t know how to respond to that. Doesn’t know how to deal with the still raw wound of Shiro. He wishes he could, though; wishes that he could help Keith somehow.  _ Pain shared is pain halved _ his mother had always told them, but it only worked when the other person was willing to share. Keith hoarded his hurt like a dragon guarding its treasure, never letting anyone get close to it.

He can try though – and once Lance decides to try he’s all in – he doesn’t do things by halves remember?

“You’ve got us now, too,” Lance points out. “Not that… I know it’s not the same. But you can lean on us. You don’t always have to be the cool loner you know.”

He takes another deep breath, steadying himself, trying to make his words gentle, before he adds, “We’re your friends. That’s what friends are for.”

Keith’s sharp intake of air is enough for Lance to know his words are unexpected. It doesn’t surprise him that Keith would be caught unawares by the words – that he would not expect their friendship. He knows it’s partly his fault, his rivalry with Keith putting a decent roadblock in any attempt to be friends.

The two of them have been a series of false starts, of roundabouts, u-turns and head on collisions.

And even once crashing their lions into the sand on Arus.

But he’s put that aside now, and he knows Keith has, too. They’ve come a long way since the Garrison, since that first night in the Desert, and since they first started flying the lions. He likes to think that they’re at a place now where they can be friends.

When the silence grows, Lance moves, stretching out his leg and pushing his foot into the Keith’s thigh, hard enough that Keith pulls his leg away from the pressure. “Well that was my truth,” he says, aiming for a light yet firm tone, one that leaves no room for argument, “Now it’s your turn; you don’t want to fall behind.” It’s his way of making sure Keith knows he meant it, that it’s the truth.

Keith unsurprisingly takes the opportunity to move on from the words. “What happens if I fall behind?” Keith asks, turning to look back at him.

Lances grins at him. “Bad stuff my dude, bad stuff. You don’t wanna break the rules of truths.” 

Keith rolls his eyes, which – rude – “Oh yeah? How bad?”

“Dude,” Lance admonishes, before sighing. “Only the worst punishment ever.” He breaks dramatically, waiting until Keith raises his eyebrows at him before he continues, “Seven years bad sex.”

Lance isn’t expecting the bark of laughter from Keith. The sound shocking him a sound so rarely rewarded.

“Lance, do you really think that’s going to be a problem? Out here?” Keith waves his hand in the direction of the observation window.

Lance throws his hand to his chest dramatically. “You wound me, good sir; where there’s a will there’s a way. I live in hope.”

“Sure, sure,” Keith agrees, his tone indulgent, like he’s talking to a child. “Well, it would only be my bad sex. So it’s not your problem.”

“Keeeeith.” Lance leans back, tipping his head back to look out the observation window again. He pushes his feet against the couch, sliding along the floor towards the window, giving his legs more space. Without looking, he kicks his feet out in the direction of Keith. One of his feet connects hard, and he knows that Keith allowed him that hit, but he’ll take it as a win. He keeps his foot where it landed, pushing his toes in against Keith’s thigh, feeling the hard muscles beneath them. “We’re in this together. Don’t drag me down with you.”

He’s still looking out the window, not paying attention to Keith other than to keep pushing his foot  _ hard _ into the muscles there. When the hand wraps around his ankle it startles him, causing him to flinch from the contact. Instinctively he tries to pull his foot away, but the hand on his ankle holds him tight.

“Okay,” Keith says, his fingers tapping out a pattern against Lance’s ankle. “A secret?”

“A truth,” Lance clarifies. “It doesn’t have to be a secret.”

“I wish I was like you sometimes.” The words come out quickly, thrown out between them without any preamble or warning. Lances thinks he must have misheard them; the words just don’t make sense – he can’t comprehend that Keith could have said them, could have meant them. He tenses his core, using it and a touch of momentum to bring himself up to seated. Keith holds his ankle tight and he makes no movement to pull it away again. Lance doesn’t look at Keith immediately, eyes instead going to his ankle currently being held by Keith, eyes locked on the long white fingers contrasting against his bronze skin.

When he finally drags his eyes away to look at Keith, he’s surprised to find purple eyes locked on his.

If he’d been hoping the words would make sense when he’s sitting up, he’s sorely disappointed.

“What?”

Keith looks away before he starts speaking. “You… you’re pretty amazing Lance. You uhh... you really helped me figure out how to lead the team. You’re my right hand man. And you’re good at talking to people – with people. Being around people.” He sighs, tipping his head back into the couch behind him. “I don’t know how you do it. You make it seem so easy.”

Another breath escapes Keith. “It’s no secret that I’m not good with people… and you are. You make it easy to be around you.” Keith laughs. “When you’re not going on about that rivalry shit, anyway.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Lance retorts, leaning forward to punch his shoulder, putting weight behind it so that Keith will actually feel it – more than he’d ever dare to do with his siblings, probably more than he’d do with any of the other paladins either. But Keith is – and always will be – a special case. “I told you that was partly because of my big, dumb crush. And because you just had to be  _ so-o-o _ good at everything. So really, you’re equally to blame for that.”

“Is that so?” Keith asks, sounding amused.

“Whatever, drop out.” He waves his hand dismissively. “I think you were in the middle of talking about how great I am, please feel free to continue.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I was done.”

“Jerk.” Lance pushes his open palm against Keith’s shoulder, shoving him hard. Keith goes with the force, before coming straight back, like one of the dolls you push and before it comes swinging back.  _ Bobo doll _ – his brain supplies after a moment of searching for the word. “Fine. My turn.”

Lance takes a moment to think of something to say. His mind is racing, but he all he can think about is everything that’s already been said, all the words already shared between them tonight.

He can’t think of anything to say, can’t think of another truth. Lance’s eyes drift back to Keith, who’s watching him, waiting for him to say something. 

His eyes drift down from Keith’s eyes, lips.

_ He wants to kiss Keith. _

He closes his eyes, blocking out the sight – trying to block out the temptation. It doesn’t work.

“I want to kiss you,” Lance mumbles.

Keith’s eyebrows furrow. “What?”

He should say something else – bring the conversation back to safe territory – but this night has already been surprising. He’s still riding the high of people appreciating his presence earlier today, and the fact that Keith  _ admitted he finds Lance hot _ .

“I want to kiss you right now,” Lance repeats. The silence following his words feels deafening, and Lance swallows – his mouth suddenly dry. He reaches for the edge of his shirt, fingers finding the hem and tracing the stitches.

“You could.” The words tumble out quickly and it feels like Lance’s heart skips a beat or five. “You could, or…” Keith trails off, his voice dying. Lance’s eyes shoot open to look at Keith intently, eyes locked on him as he waits with baited breath for Keith’s next words, “or I could kiss you.”

His brain freezes. His whole body freezes.

Lance is unable to move as he watches Keith, see’s the way Keith's adam's apple moves as he swallows. It feels like his heart is racing, his hands feel clammy, and shit – _no one wants to kiss someone with sweaty palms_. He flicks his tongue out to lick his lips and Keith’s eyes dart to track the movement before coming back to meet Lance’s eyes, shooting Lance a small shy smile. Lance swallows to try to clear the lump in his throat, and he inhales deeply through his nose. He tries to inhale slowly, and hold the breath – following the relaxation techniques his sister had taught him back when he was an overactive eleven year old – but he can’t hold onto the breath, not now, and he exhales loudly again.

Keith pushes up onto his feet, before moving forward to rest on his knees, coming closer to Lance in the process. The room feels frozen around them – Lance feels sure that if he were able to move to look out the window, even the ship would have stopped moving. He can’t hear any of the sounds the ship usually makes – can’t hear anything over the sound of his own breathing, and the rushing of blood in his ears.

Keith is usually all fast movements, nothing holding him back once he’s decided to move, but here,  _ now _ , he’s moving slowly – moving in inches instead of covering the distance in one movement like he could be. He thinks Keith might be doing it for his Lance’s benefit. Giving him time to change his mind, to move, to take it all back or ask Keith to stop.

He’s not planning on doing that though – wouldn’t do it even if he could bring himself to move.

Keith kneels next to him, leaning in, close enough that Lance can feel Keith’s breath against his cheek. All it would take is for Keith to lean forward, or Lance, but Keith has stopped his movement and Lance still can’t quite remember how to move his body.

“Lance,” Keith whispers, the words puffing breath against his cheek, “Do you want me to kiss you?”

The words finally kickstart him into moving, and he shoots forward, closing the distance to kiss Keith. He’s too enthusiastic, the lack of movement seems to have stored his energy because he almost leaps at Keith, slamming their mouths together with force. Their teeth collide, and Lance feels a burst of pain in his lip. 

He pulls away immediately, dropping back to lie on the ground again. When Keith’s amused laughter reaches his ears, he covers his burning cheeks with his arm. 

“Fuck,” Lance says, letting out his own shaky laugh when Keith’s laughter starts to taper off. “Fuck. That was… I didn’t mean for that to happen.” He lets out the breath he’d been holding, “Can we just like – it’s been a while.”

Keith huffs another laugh. He hears movement, and he feels something against his shoulder. When he pulls his arm slightly away from his eyes to peer at what has bumped against him, he finds Keith laying down next to him on the floor.

“Lance,” he says softly, “it’s okay.”

He feels the hand on his arm, the fingers capturing his wrist. The grip tugs on his wrist, and Lance doesn’t want to drop the arm yet, wants to wallow a little longer, but Keith is gently pulling on his wrist, enough that he could pull away if he wanted, but he doesn’t. Instead, he opens his eyes to Keith lying next to him, propped up on one shoulder, looking at Lance.

Lance can’t look away.

“Wanna try again?” Keith asks, the purple eyes locked on Lance.

Lance doesn't trust his words, so he nods. This time when Keith approaches, leaning down toward him, Lance waits for the kiss. Keith places an arm on the other side of Lance, just beside his shoulder, and then he drops down. Lance is closing his eyes to the sight in front of him, so that the only warning he gets before Keith’s lips meet his is the warmth of his breath.

Then Keith is pressing his lips against Lance’s. Lance brings an hand up to hold onto Keith’s arm, the other coming to rest on Keith’s hip as Keith places small kisses against Lance’s lips, teasing him; everything is always a challenge between them. Keith presses his lips in then, not pulling away this time. The spot on his lip where he’d connected with Keith’s teeth prior stings, the pressure against them mingling pleasure and pain. Keith lips part just a little, and Lance isn’t sure if it’s deliberate, but Keith’s tongue seeks out the spot on his lip immediately. Despite – or maybe because of – the pain it causes a shock of arousal to run through his body. His cock twitches in his pants, reacting to the Keith’s touch. He opens his lips to moan into Keith’s mouth, who takes the opportunity to lick further into Lance’s mouth, tracing around his lips, before coming back to flick once more against Lance’s lips. 

Lance has thought about this before – thought about it so many times, considered what it would be like to do this. He’d always imagined that if it were to happen they’d come together after a battle, or sparring, or one of their fights. He’d always thought it would be fast, and rough, and maybe a little brutal. He’s imagined the bruises and split lips and a ferocious pace. Instead, it’s softer than he could have ever imagined. He does have a split lip like he’d thought he would, but it’s from his own over-eagerness not from Keith like he’d expected.

Keith pulls away; Lance is gasping for air, but he’s pleased to see he’s not the only one. Keith pushes himself up on his arms, placing more distance between them but not pulling away from leaning over Lance.

Lance is watching Keith, sees the way Keith’s eyes flick to his lips. Keith’s lips are red, lips swelling from the pressure and  _ he caused that _ . It’s an amazing thought, he wants to make them redder, kiss them till they’re swollen and sore. Keith silent – they only audible sound his breathing; he doesn’t say anything, or move – but he doesn’t move away from his position above Lance either, eyes still locked on Lance.

“Did my amazing kissing leave you speechless?” Lance asks, when the silence continues, starts to feel smothering, he makes his voice teasing, “It’s a common occurrence, nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Keith’s mouth twitches, and he raises his eyebrows, but doesn’t say a word. 

Lance wants Keith to kiss him again, or he wants to kiss Keith. Lance just wants for them to be kissing again. 

“Do it again?” Lance asks quietly, choking on the words, the want strangling his voice. He wants this so much – has wanted it for so long – maybe since the first time he sat behind Keith in orientation if he lets himself think about it; the thought that this could be all – that maybe Keith doesn’t really want to keep kissing him makes his stomach drop. 

Keith drops his elbow to the floor again, hovering over Lance, just far enough away that they’re bodies aren’t touching. Lance leans up to close the last inch, sealing Keith’s lips with his own. Keith pushes him back down to the ground gently, using the pressure of his mouth on Lance’s to guide him until Lance’s head comes to rest on the floor again. Keith covers lance's body with his, dropping his weight onto Lance. It feels good – Keith’s body feels like it lines up perfectly with his own. The thought that makes his cheeks flame immediately – when did he become such a sap?

Keith’s hand moves to run through Lance’s hair, fingers pulling the strands lightly as the hand moves through his hair. Keith’s lips on his own are amazing, fabulous, but he wants  _ more _ , so he breaks the kiss, “more,” Lance gasps against Keith’s lips, “please, Keith, more.”

Keith laughs gently against his lips, before he shifts his leg over, sliding it between Lance’s own.

“Ah,” Lance gasps when Keith’s thigh presses in against his erection, before pulling away. He’s  _ achingly _ hard, and he  _ needs _ the contact. He shifts his hands to Keith’s hips and pulls them down to contact once again, “Keith.” He breathes the name out when their hips contact again.

The pressure is a delight, and he moans again. Distantly, he registers that he should probably try and keep quiet. They’re in the observation room; anyone could walk in on them at any stage. They’re at least hidden behind the couch, it would give them time if anyone came in, not that Lance is sure he would even realise if anyone were to walk in – he can’t hear anything over the sound of his own gasps.

He buries his face into Keith’s neck, moaning against the skin there. He can hear Keith panting into his neck, quiet gasps for air, and he shouldn’t be surprised that Keith is quiet – Keith has always been careful with his words, never saying more than was needed, only speaking up when he need to do so. Why would this be any different?

He pushes his own thigh up between Keith’s legs, feeling Keith’s erection against his muscles. Lance arches up to press in while Keith grinds down against him – Keith is rocking in, each movement pushing Keith’s hard dick into his thigh, a clear sign of his arousal, and Lance moves to match the movements. He’s not sure what he enjoys more – Keith pushing against his erection or the feeling of Keith’s erection against his leg. It’s an amazing feeling, sending flushes through his body, and the moans which escape his mouth are only getting louder and faster.

The pressure is starting to build, he can feel his stomach tensing with his approaching orgasm. Which is why he groans in desperation when Keith pushes up on his arms, pulling away from Lance and removing the pressure.

“Keith,” he whines, “Keith,  _ please _ .”

Keith leans down again to mouth at Lance’s neck, and it’s not until he feels a hand fumbling at his jeans that he even realises Keith has moved the arm from next to his head – his mind too foggy with arousal. Fingers awkwardly pop the button on his jeans, before pushing the zipper down. He doesn’t make any further effort to move Lance’s jeans, just pushes his hand underneath the band of Lance’s boxers and wraps his fingers around Lance’s cock.

Lance’s moan is embarrassingly loud – or at least it would be if he could spare a moment on it, later it will bother him, but for now he can’t think, can’t focus on anything except the the feel of Keith’s fingers around his cock. Keith’s grip is tight, tighter than Lance would normally use himself, and his hand is smaller than Lance’s own. Keith strokes him fast, and Lance thinks it’s not even a dozen strokes before he’s groaning, stomach tensing and legs shaking as he comes in his boxers and over Keith’s fingers.

Keith strokes him through it, loosening his grip and slowing down the strokes until it’s a relaxed pace. It starts to move over from pleasure into oversensitivity. He’s not sure what he does to give it away – if it’s a sound or a movement – but Keith removes his hand from inside his pants, wiping his hands on Lance’s boxers as he does so. He’d complain about it, but considering he’s already ruined them, it feels a little pointless.

Pushing away from Lance, Keith sits back on his knees. With both his hands free Keith unbuttons his own jeans. Lance can see some of his spunk still on Keith’s fingers as he does so, and he has to close his eyes for a moment, releasing a deep moan. It probably shouldn’t be as hot as he finds that, Keith’s fingers leaving traces of his release on his jeans as he undoes them. He pushes his jeans down further than he’d bothered to with Lance’s own jeans, pushing his briefs down just enough to get his own cock.

Lance has to bite his lip to stop himself from groaning just at the sight of Keith taking his cock in his hand, stroking himself fast. It’s a beautiful view for Lance, Keith kneeling over him and getting himself off, and Lance could watch this for days. He tries to take in the whole sight – committing this to memory in case he never gets to see it again. Keith is still quiet as he strokes himself, the only noise he’s making are heaving gasps of air, Lance can see the way his chest moves with every breath, even under his heavy black shirt. Then Keith curls forward over himself and comes – all over his hands and Lance’s shirt.

Keith strokes himself a few more times, before releasing his grip. He doesn’t even bother to tuck himself in before he leans forward, falling on top of Lance, before rolling himself over to lie down on his back next to Lance, both of them looking up at the ceiling. 

He’s lying on Lance’s arm, so Lance shifts it, moving it to fit under Keith’s neck, and wrap around his shoulder. Keith’s sweaty, Lance can feel the dampness of Keith’s neck against his skin – but then so is Lance, so he’s not judging. It’s worth a little transfer of sweat just to savour the moment, both of them still breathing heavy from their orgasms, and coming down together.

Lance watches as Keith brings his hand up for a moment to look at, and Lance can see the accumulation of spunk, both of theirs intermingling. When he moves his hand towards Lance it takes him a moment to work out what Keith is planning, by the time he does it’s too late – Keith is already wiping his hand off on Lance’s shirt.

“You fucker!” He exclaims, shoving Keith’s hand away, even if it is too late, rolling himself over to lay on top of Keith. He sits himself up, straddling Keith’s stomach. Lance grabs Keith’s hands and pushes them above Keith’s head, pinning them there. He glares down at Keith, trying to make himself look angry, even though he’s only really feeling amusement.

Keith looks unfazed. “Your shirt was already dirty,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders.

It’s true, but it’s more the principle of the matter. He notices Keith’s hand still has his spunk on it, Lance had interrupted him, and there’s still come splattered in between his fingers. Without giving it too much thought, he pulls Keith’s hand to his lips, flicking his tongue out to lick between the digits.

Keith’s resulting groan is the loudest thing he’s heard since they started doing this, and it shocks him. He looks down at Keith to see his face has turned bright red. So Keith does make noise; Lance wants more than anything to try and make that happen more often next time.

Speaking of– 

“What is this then?” he asks, dropping Keith’s hand down to rest on his stomach.

Keith meets his eyes, and shrugs his shoulders. 

“Is this – Are we – could we… do this again?" Lance asks haltingly, wanting to bite down on his tongue for how unsure he sounds. The words are out there though, and he meets Keith's eyes with an unwavering gaze, soldiering through his nerves so that Keith doesn't catch on.

“If you want to, yeah. I’d like to.” Keith nods, “If you wanna do this and think we can still be friends.”

“Just friends?” Lance has to ask – needs to know what this is – what it could be. He thinks they’re probably coming at this from opposite ends of the spectrum. Lance is interested in more – if it's on the table – but Keith's already told him that he doesn't love easily. In a way it’s good he thinks – that they started this all with Lance’s confession. Keith knew where Lance was coming from.

Keith nods again. Which Lance had been expecting; it’s not what the Lance who’d first crushed on Keith would have wanted – but here, now, he’ll take it. A part of him is even surprised to find out he’s  _ happy  _ with that. Lance is willing to meet him in the middle on this.

“Cool dude.” Lance says, shooting him a grin, and he  _ means _ it. This is enough for him. “So, like, friends with benefits? Cool.”

“You just licked my come off my fingers, are you seriously calling me dude right now?” Keith rolls his eyes.

“Always, dude.” Lance laughs in his face. Keith scrunches his nose up at him, but otherwise doesn’t mention it. Lance swings his leg off Keith and comes back to rest on the floor next to him.

They should move, should at least do their pants up. Lance has the advantage there at least, he’s still tucked in his boxers, while Keith would be the inappropriate one if anyone were to come in, and Lance thinks his own transgressions of having his pants still open would be ignored for the fact that Keith still has his cock out. 

Although it’s Lance’s shirt which is covered in spunk, so that probably wouldn’t help.

He still can’t bring himself to do it though. Too content to just lie in post-orgasmic high. Reaching down and resolving his pants issue would mean ending this thing, and he’s not quite ready for that, even with the possibility of this happening again in the future. When there’s a possibility of him  _ having sex in the near future _ . The thought is like a high in itself. 

“Hey,” he says when the thought occurs to him. Keith’s acknowledging grunt let’s him know Keith’s listening, so he continues, “Bet you’re glad you didn’t get that seven years bad sex now, huh?”

Keith’s laughter rings out in the room. “I bet  _ you’re _ glad I didn’t get that seven years bad sex.”

“Yeah,” Lance acknowledges without hesitation, “Yeah I am.”

**Author's Note:**

> This really pushed me outside my comfort zone, and I had so much fun writing this! Hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it - but I hope you don't have panic induced moments like I did while writing this.
> 
> I'll link to my tumblr once these are revealed.
> 
> Comments and kudos keep writers going!
> 
> -
> 
> This work is part of [VLD Tropes Fest](http://vldtropesfest.tumblr.com) | Comments and Kudos are appreciated | Anonymous creators will be revealed after the masterlist is posted!


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